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This page provides teachers with objectives, activities, and resources needed to assist their students who have a disability, along with their families, to grow themselves and learn various skills needed to advocate for themselves and accomplish their goals. Objectives, activities, and resources are grouped together by five main areas: Go for a SPIN, Driver's Seat, Road to Work, Road to College, and Road to Community Living.
(Strengths, Preferences, Interests, Needs)
Objectives, activities, and resources that guide teachers in formal and informal transition assessments with students and families to reflect individualized goals during and after school
OBJECTIVE: Complete informal and formal transition assessments or questionnaires with students and families to gather strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in order to write individualized transition goals.
Activities
Reflect with your student on their strengths and weaknesses
Help them recognize what areas they need help in
Work with your student on advocating for themselves and recognizing when they need help
Work with those around you to help your student make connections
Have conversations about what they want to do in the future, not what you or their families want them to do
Resources
OBJECTIVE: Complete informal and formal transition assessments or questionnaires with students and families to gather strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in order to write individualized transition goals.
Activities
Reflect with your student on their strengths and weaknesses
Help them recognize what areas they need help in
Work with your student on advocating for themselves and recognizing when they need help
Work with those around you to help your student make connections
Have conversations about what they want to do in the future, not what you or their families want them to do
Resources
Objectives, activities, and resources focused on what students can do to take charge of future goals and make appropriate plans during and after high school
OBJECTIVE: Using local community resources, connect families and students to one another in various school functions.
Activities
Host a transition workshop for families and students
Create frequent opportunities for family involvement in the classroom and community
Connect current families with experienced families that have recently completed school and are working or living in their communities
Connect families to help mentor each other in learning about the life-long benefits of expanding opportunities and encouraging new interests and activities in their sons or daughters
Communicate with families and students at least once a month about the future and help them identify future life goals
OBJECTIVE: Develop a transition plan with individualized goals that are understandable to students and families.
Activities
Teach students transition planning word meanings and how to plan for their future
Develop a transition plan that includes individualized goals, specific timelines, and roles of each team member
Make sure the IEP includes a statement about the student’s needs, preferences and interests, and appropriate course(s) of study.
Provide resources and networks to families about adult services
Get signed permission for inviting agency representatives before each IEP meeting
OBJECTIVE: Using explicit strategies and assistive technology (as needed), foster student opportunities to practice problem solving, self-advocacy, time management, and organizational skills.
Activities
Help students develop skills and strategies to compensate for their needs
Explicitly teach learning and organization strategies such as note taking, test preparation, time management, written expression, reading, and tracking assignments
Promote early problem-solving skills by modeling your own problem-solving processes aloud to students
Use technology and assessments in the classroom to help students on the job or in college
Teach appropriate behavior in social situations using role play, videos, and discussion
OBJECTIVE: Using explicit teaching strategies or technology (as needed), have students invite their support teams and lead their IEP meetings
Activities
Invite your students to the IEP meeting
If the student does not attend the transition IEP meeting, document other steps taken to ensure that the student’s needs, preferences, and interests were considered
Explicitly teach students how to lead their IEP meetings and talk about goals
Assist in developing a script with notes or notecards for the student so that all key points are covered in the meeting
Review informal assessments to share at meeting
OBJECTIVE: With support from families, teach students about their strengths and weaknesses and how to request help or talk through decisions in and out of the classroom environment.
Activities
Help your students advocate for themselves
Teach your students about their strengths and weaknesses
Have students make decisions they are capable of handling
Provide opportunities to make choices and decisions, to explore and take risks, and to learn from experiences of success and failure
Teach students how to self-regulate and self-manage day to day actions
OBJECTIVE: Develop and monitor transition goals to be sure they are individualized and include long term employment, education, and independent living options that students can achieve during and after high school.
Activities
Teach students to break long term goals into short term objectives
Make a long-term plan with your students for school, work, and living in your community
Work with students to identify their plans/goals for what they will do after you graduate
Look at IEP goals to make sure they are relevant to life after high school
Document how the student will exit school
Review and revise if needed how students will exit school
OBJECTIVE: Guide families to adult resources needed for establishing long term medical needs, financial planning, guardianship, voting, and photo IDs.
Activities
Think about the programs and support needed when the student leaves school
Provide resources to families for a doctor and a dentist
Facilitate going or working with families to get students an identification card
Understand financial planning needed for Social Security Income and special needs trust
Teach students about Miranda rights
Know details about guardianship to educate families including options for full guardianship
Register men for Selective Service
Resources
OBJECTIVE: Using explicit teaching strategies or technology (as needed), have students invite their support teams, lead their IEP meetings, and update their Summary of Performance (SOP).
Activities
Invite your students to the IEP meeting
If the student does not attend the transition IEP meeting, document other steps taken to ensure that the student’s needs, preferences, and interests were considered
Explicitly teach students how to lead their IEP meetings and talk about goals
Be sure the IEP promotes independence
Teach students to develop and annually update the Summary of Performance (SOP) by using the transition assessment results
OBJECTIVE: Using role play and explicit teaching methods, provide opportunities for practicing appropriate social skills and decision making.
Activities
Provide opportunities to make choices and decisions, to explore and take risks, and to learn from experiences of success and failure
Teach appropriate behavior in social situations using role play, videos, and discussion
Provide resources to students and families so they can help create daily schedules
Teach students how to self-regulate and self-manage day to day actions
OBJECTIVE: With support from families, teach students about their disability and how to request help or talk through decisions in and out of the classroom environment.
Activities
Best practices should include real choice, true inclusion, and high expectations for your students
Teach your students about their disability needs
Help your students advocate for themselves
Be sure you allow student voice about personal desires rather than bending to anyone else’s desires
Talk to your students about their strengths and needs for work and school
Have students make decisions they are capable of handling
Find specific ways for students to regularly participate in school wide programs and community activities
Resources
Objectives, activities, and resources that guide teachers in formal and informal transition assessments with students and families to reflect on individualized goals in regards to meaningful work.
OBJECTIVE: Using classroom and community based experiences, show or explore with students different job opportunities based on their interest.
Activities
Talk about the value of having a job and work ethic
Visit or show videos of different jobs to students
Assist student in obtaining job permit if needed
OBJECTIVE: Based on student interests and job skills, have students apply or practice skills to get a job such as writing resumes, filling out job applications, interviews.
Activities
Help students create a resume, job portfolio, and/or video resume
Teach the student job interviewing skills and provide opportunities for the students to practice those skills
Provide students opportunities to go to job fairs to explore jobs and careers
Work with Vocational Rehabilitation to help students seek competitive employment options
Help students search and apply for summer jobs in the community
Explore different career options for students based on their interests
Provide opportunities for job sampling in the community
Complete formal aptitude tests
OBJECTIVE: Teach students work skills and ways to evaluate their own work performance in relevant job placements
Activities
Regularly evaluate the curriculum to ensure that you are teaching skills that employers need
Provide work experiences during school hours to teach work skills
Provide guidance to families and students about necessary documents needed for employment (birth certificate, social security card, tax forms)
Help your students get a real paid job in the community
Teach students about job accommodations and how to ask for them at work
OBJECTIVE: Explore college options with students and families through internet, visits to college campuses, and transition fairs.
Activities
If a student wants to go to college, help with the exploration of courses needed during middle school
Help students use the internet to explore college programs and courses of study
Take the students to tour a college or university
Provide opportunities for students to attend college fairs to discover possible postsecondary options
OBJECTIVE: Continue to explore college options with students and families through internet, visits to college campuses, and transition fairs.
Activities
Do website searches with students and look for employment, vocational training, colleges, and postsecondary schools to learn about course requirements, potential majors, costs, services for students with disabilities, living arrangements, activities, and student life
Provide resources on postsecondary accommodations and supports to student and families
Take students to college fairs and/or tour a college/university
Encourage families and students to get involved in volunteer and community activities for increasing their chances of being accepted into college programs
OBJECTIVE: Using resources provided, explain the distinct differences between high school and college to students and families.
Activities
Teach students and families how college and high school services are different with a visit to Disability Services at a local college
Provide documentation students need for college (recent psychological assessment, letters of reference, summary of performance)
Collaborate with school guidance counselors on financial aid and college opportunities
Objectives, activities, and resources for students that work towards successful independent living options after high school
OBJECTIVE: By reviewing functional life skill resources, provide students and families with skills for living as independently as possible in the community.
Activities
Use role playing, counseling, and targeted instruction to teach students certain social skills
Discuss good grooming skills and the importance of physical fitness
Find community resources for students to participate in based on their strengths
Facilitate community volunteer opportunities
Teach money skills in the classroom and community
Teach students about budgeting, cooking, shopping, and housekeeping
Teach students public transportation and safety skills
Implement a time/money management plan
Resources
OBJECTIVE: Provide students and families with skills needed for navigating and safely living as independently as possible in the community.
Activities
Teach and provide resources on sexuality and family planning
Teach students to assume responsibility for health care needs, such as making appointments, and filling and taking prescriptions
Provide resources for driver’s education and local transportation systems in the community
Begin to prepare and practice a transportation plan after high school
Use timers to promote keeping a schedule with students and the importance of following a schedule
Collect information regarding vocational interests and abilities
Resources
OBJECTIVE: With support from community agencies, provide families and students with housing, financial, and community mapping resources needed for achieving their goals in the community.
Activities
Educate and provide resources to families and students about voting
Perform community mapping to identify the postsecondary education, vocational, residential, and recreational opportunities available to students within their community
Work with the student to start thinking about how they are going to pay for their own living on a fixed income
Provide information to the student and family concerning the residential placements in the state
Provide resources to families on Section 8 Housing Vouchers
Discuss with students the kinds of insurance that they may receive after high school